This invention relates to commodity slicing machines, and more particularly to a knife sharpener, associated guard cover, mounting means, and position dependent latch for quick and convenient sharpening of the slicing machine cutting knife.
Sharpening devices for commodity slicing machines are well known and have been standard slicing machine accessories for many years. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,263,414, 1,821,280, 1,939,740, 2,486,810 and 2,614,373. The extremely keen knife edge regularly maintained by such sharpeners can present quite a safety hazard. It is therefore customary to equip slicing machines with a variety of safety features to guard and discourage the machine operator from accidental contact with the edge of the slicing knife. This is particularly important when the knife is rotating, as during slicing and sharpening operations. Thus, the exposed front and back surfaces of the circular cutting knife are normally covered with guard plates and/or shields, and those areas of the knife edge which are outside the active cutting area are protected and surrounded with a knife edge guard.
In order to sharpen the knife, it is of course necessary to bring the sharpener into contact with it. Usually a portion of the knife edge is exposed and the sharpener is brought into an active sharpening position at the exposed area. Some sharpeners include provisions for covering the exposed knife edge once the sharpener is in the sharpening position, and some do not. Some sharpeners provide rather direct mechanical linkages for conveniently shifting the sharpener between the storage and sharpening positions, while others require the sharpener to be entirely detached from the machine and then reattached at each position.
In all such cases, however, the knife edge is exposed and easily accessible to the operator at some time or another. The prior art has yet to provide a sharpener which incorporates the desirable features of an easy, single action movement from a storage position to a sharpening position and back again without unnecessarily exposing the knife edge, which reduces the likelihood of exposure of the operator's hands and fingers to the knife edge, which is easily removable from the slicing machine for cleaning, which is well protected in the storage position from scraps and other residues, and which is uncomplicated, effective, durable and economical in construction.